Hamilton held a fan art contest to celebrate its 10th anniversary, with the winning design part of the special 10th anniversary Playbill cover for Hamilton, distributed at all of the show’s performances during the month of August. Out of over 3,000 entries, where fans created their original artwork using the design platform Canva and the Playbill x Canva Contest template, a winner was selected by a team of judges. The winning cover design is below, created by Sarah Welch. Welch’s design is currently featured on the second cover of the Hamilton August Playbills, with the front cover being the special Hamilton 10th anniversary design. Next to Welch's cover is this letter from Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, which we have published in full below.
"Legacy. What Is a Legacy?"
It’s hard to wrap my brain around Hamilton reaching its 10th anniversary on Broadway. It was not something I thought about when I began writing the first song back in 2008. I just knew that Ron Chernow’s biography of Alexander Hamilton’s life was gripping and made for a great musical. I hoped I could do it justice. It took me just shy of seven years to finish it, and here we are 10 years later.
I think about all the artists who poured their creative energy into Hamilton as we built the show together a decade ago. My original Cabinet: Thomas Kail, Alex Lacamoire, and Andy Blankenbuehler. Our dearly missed lighting designer Howell Binkley, who carved masterpieces with light on this stage, immaculately designed by David Korins. Our costumes by the now Oscar-winning genius Paul Tazewell. Our crew at The Public and here at the Rodgers, the production staff, my fellow castmates—in this past decade of life, we have cheered each other on during so many moments of triumph and seen each other through so many challenges. What a profound joy it was to reunite the original Broadway company at the Tonys this past June to perform together again. I hope you were watching and felt the love and joy flowing between us on that stage. I will never forget it.
In our show, Hamilton describes legacy as “planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.” But 10 years out, we have gotten a chance to see how Hamilton’s artistic garden is growing. Hamilton has now traveled across the globe. Each new cast has brought something vital and unique to the work. I am so proud of the current company of Hamilton on Broadway. Get ready for them to blow you all away.
Oh, can I show you what I’m proudest of?
Partnering with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and the Rockefeller Foundation, The Hamilton Education Program, “EduHam” provides students with an immersive educational experience combining history, art, and performance. Thousands of students from more than 1,300 schools in New York City and tour locations have completed the curriculum and attended live Hamilton performances. The energy at those performances is off the charts. In recent years, EduHam has expanded to include an online curriculum primarily to reach a broader audience of students. It ensures that all students have access to high-quality educational resources related to American history and the arts. I’m excited for the work these students will show us in the years to come, and how they’ll blow us all away.
Hamilton has the most creative, passionate, and thoughtful fans in the world. I’m continually impressed by the art people create in response to Hamilton. A special thank you to Sarah Welch (who was one of 3,000 entries in our Canva contest) for their amazing work on this month’s special anniversary cover of our Playbill.
I believe one of the reasons Hamilton continues to connect with audiences is that it evokes something deeper than a historical era up on that stage. In getting to know Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and Eliza, we experience contrasting visions of how we are meant to spend this one precious life: Do we chase every opportunity, make the most of every minute, shoot our shot? Or are we cautious, willing to wait for the right opportunity, inimitable, original? And finally, there is Eliza with her incredible tenacity and strength in the face of unimaginable loss, her love conquering time itself. How will you spend this one precious life? Who lives, who dies, who tells your story?
Thanks for these past 10 years, and thank you for being here tonight. Enjoy the show.
Siempre,
Lin-Manuel
Sarah Welch
Sarah Welch
Sarah Welch
Sarah Welch
Sarah Welch and Jarrod Spector
